Known from the prior art are wrapping machines comprising a turntable for rotating an article to be wrapped up. The turntable comprises a rotatable round cover plate provided with two grooves in parallel with each other. The grooves are arranged at a distance from each other that corresponds to the distance between the forks of the lifting fork of a pallet truck. The grooves extend from the edge of the cover plate on both sides of the diameter of the cover plate and in parallel to the diameter. They receive the forks of the lifting fork so that the article to be wrapped up can be conveyed by the pallet truck onto the cover plate to be supported by it, and respectively off the cover plate. The rotatable cover plate is bearing-mounted to a fixed base plate which is supported to a fixed base, so as to rotate about a central vertical rotating axis. Extending up substantially perpendicularly from the periphery of the base plate is a vertical wall. The vertical wall comprises an opening for an access ramp. The access ramp is fitted in alignment with the opening and mounted to the vertical wall. The forks of the pallet truck may be conveyed into the grooves of the cover plate through the access ramp.
A problem with the known wrapping machine turntables is that they are designed in such manner that the access ramp is mounted fixedly to the base plate and directed in a specific direction, selected by the manufacturer, which cannot be changed later by the user.
A further problem concerning the manufacturing technique is that, as said vertical wall which extends for most of the extent of the periphery of the base plate is mounted to the base plate by welding, the base plate is subject to distortions due to the welding, bringing about irregularities which make the gap between the base plate and the cover plate smaller and augment the operating noise as the cover plate is supported to the base plate by rollers which roll over the surface of the cover plate.
Typically, the manufacturers provide a number of different wrapping machine models designed specifically for a desired approach direction. Thus, the wrapping machine manufacturer must hold in production and in store many different turntables and their parts, which is not cost-effective.